Paula Peckham is a fifth-generation Texan who worked for 19 years as a high
school math teacher. She and her husband have four children and nine
grandchildren. Her debut novel, Protected, book one in the San Antonio series, was a semi-finalist in the 2020 ACFW Genesis contest. Elk
Lake Publishing released it last year. It won the gold medal in the 2022
Global Book Awards. Book two, A Father's Gift, is available now as
well. In 2021 Paula also had contributions in two Christmas anthologies. But
let's hear all about Paula from Paula, herself.
LBL: To get to know you better, I'd like to start with a few non-writing
"which do you prefer" trivia questions. For your physical location, a country
or an urban setting?
Paula: I much prefer the country. We live outside our city limits, and in our
neighborhood, everyone’s house is on an acre or more. There are horses, cows,
donkeys, and chickens. I often hear them when I’m outside. I would like to
raise chickens and have cage-free, natural eggs, but my dog Buddy feels it is
his personal duty to rid the backyard of anything living that isn’t him.
Nothing is safe. I fear the chicken project wouldn’t end well.
LBL: Oh no! Bad doggie. Your place sounds lovely, though. Sweet or salty
snacks?
Paula: Both, but probably lean more to salty. We don’t eat a lot of sweets in
our house. Not that we’re against sugar or anything, but let’s just say if a
cake or pie comes home, half of it will be thrown away at some point.
LBL: That's not a bad thing, though, is it? I could use fewer sweets in my
life. For your personal enjoyment, paper, digital, or audio books?
Paula: Paper if I can sit and read. Audio books in the car.
LBL: I'm with you on the paper. Much easier on my eyes. Are you a morning
person or a night owl?
Paula: Definitely a night owl. I can stay up a really long time, and it is
often when I lay my head on my pillow that creative ideas start flowing. I
think a filter of some sort shuts off when my brain thinks it’s time to sleep,
and suddenly, the solution to a plot problem I’ve been mulling over all day
pops into my mind. I often pop right back out of bed and run to the computer.
LBL: I wonder if that's a "thing" for most authors. It happens to me, too. And
if I don't write it down immediately, I forget by the morning. This may be
kind of redundant since we know about your dog, but here goes anyway. Pets or
no pets? What kind?
Paula: Definitely, and always. We currently have two dogs, Buddy (3 years old)
and Goliath (15 years old), and a cat, Silbida (which means “hiss” or “spit”
in Spanish—draw your own conclusions about her personality). Cats don’t fare
well out here in the country. Coyotes roam freely, and they seem to like the
taste of feline dinners. So Silbida never goes outside. However, she and Buddy
don’t get along, so she basically spends 24/7 in my bedroom. After seven years
of that, I think I’d be bored, but she seems content to spend her time
sleeping or scratching my furniture to shreds.
LBL: You definitely have an interesting group of pets. lol. What inspired you
to become a writer? Were there any books or authors that were particularly
instrumental in this vocational choice?
Paula: I’ve always loved to read. In second grade, we had a reading contest.
We made notebooks in which to record our books. The paper inside was that Big
Chief tablet newspaper-y material with the blue lines that gave you a writing
space, divided in half with the dashed pink line. Mine had a lavender
construction paper cover. My mom started working that year at the first public
library in our town, and she brought home a stack of books for me every day. I
read and read and read. I was going to WIN. But, to my extreme dismay, Susan
Zodin read more than me. She beat me. I was devastated. Regardless, my love of
the written word was born. Slowly, the idea I could write something of my own
germinated. As for authors, I have several favorites. In mystery, I adore Dick
Francis. In horror, Stephen King takes the lead. Frank Herbert wins for
Sci-fi. In action, Lee Child battles it out with Nelson DeMille. Patrick Ness
is my favorite Young Adult writer. In women’s fiction, I love Barbara
Kingsolver. For humorous, Sandra Bird (also Texan) is the winner. And in
romance, Kathleen Woodiwiss was my first fave, but LaVyrle Spencer took over
that spot later. I think pieces of all of them have been rooting in my
subconscious for all these years, and all have added a pinch of this and a
dash of that to my own writing style.
LBL: I'm sorry you didn't win the contest, but hooray for you that you got so
into reading. You certainly have an ecclectic range of genre tastes, there.
What is your primary genre, and why did you choose it?
Paula: I write historical romance. Romance is the best-selling genre in
fiction, so that was a no-brainer. It’s also my go-to when I need a comfort,
feel-good read. And since I’ve read so much of it myself, it was easy to fall
into the pattern or expectations of what readers want. And I discovered in
college that I really enjoy doing research.
LBL: Ah, a kindred spirit. I really enjoy the research too. It can distract me
at times. How many books do you have published? Do you have a favorite?
Paula: I have my name included on two Christmas anthologies:
Christmas Love Through the Ages has my novella and a short story, and
Texas Heirloom Ornament has a novella that I wrote. Then my first solo
novel was Protected, published April, 2022, and that is probably my
favorite simply because it was my first. There were so many exciting
thresholds that were crossed with that one. You can never recreate the first
time you experience something. Book two in that series is A Father’s Gift, and
it came out August, 2022.
LBL: Congratulations on your debut. That's a great milestone. If you could be
a character in any book, one you’ve read or one you wrote, who would that be
and why?
Paula: I love the characters in Dick Francis’ novels. They’re so cool, calm,
and collected. They have an inner strength and common sense that I love.
LBL: What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a
pantser?
Paula: I tend toward the plotting end of the spectrum. I’ve read the book
Save the Cat Writes a Novel, and I’ve taken a course titled The Hero’s
Journey, by Michael Hague. Both of those teach you how to hit the necessary
points in the novel so you keep the tension going and don’t lag. I’ve actually
taught classes on Michael Hague’s course (giving him all the credit, of
course) because it made such a difference for me on how I write. I always know
where my word count stands and if I’m close to the turning points in the plot.
I highly recommend both of those books. I’m also currently reading through
James Scott Bell’s Write Your Novel From the Middle, and I’m sure that
will be beneficial as well. Everything he writes is good.
LBL: Bell's book is really good! I've been eying Save the Cat. I might
just go get me a copy now. Care to share a picture of your writing space? Or
if you prefer, just describe it for us.
Paula: I sit at the kitchen table. It’s nice to look out into the backyard
while I’m pondering. It stays pretty cluttered, but everything I need is right
there at hand. I keep the books I’m using for research on the shelf behind me,
plus my writing books. Pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes are all in
the drawer. I keep my planner on the table next to my laptop. It’s not a
conventional office, but it works for me.
LBL: Tell a little about your newest release, A Father’s Gift, and how
you came up with the idea.
Paula: A Father’s Gift is actually the novella I wrote for
Christmas Love Through the Ages. But when my publisher for
Protected learned about it, she asked me to send it over and let her
read it. Even though it’s only a novella, she decided to publish it as book
two in the San Antonio series. It started out in my mind as a parallel
story to the birth of Jesus, complete with an angelic-type character. However,
as these things do, it took on a life of its own and completely changed course
(with a little help from my critique partner, Jodi Short, who is phenomenal at
getting you out of plot thickets). It is set around Christmastime, but it’s
really more of a coming-of-age story for my male character from
Protected, Manny, as he grapples with the reality of becoming a father.
LBL: Don't you love how stories, not to mention characters, do their own thing
and force you to change course? It can be frustrating and delightful at the
same time. Do you have a new project in the works? Can you tell us a little
about it?
Paula: My next book is Accepted. It’s book three in the series, and it
tells the story of Jonathan, Manny’s best friend in Protected. In
chapter one, you learn Jonathan has dyslexia, and now that he has taken over
running the family farm, it has gotten him into financial trouble. I introduce
Quenby as his eventual love interest (it is a romance, after all—you know
they’ll get together in the end). There are some animals thrown in for comedic
effect. I also utilize a historical fact about Texas that 9 out of 10 people
I’ve asked didn’t know. I won’t tell what it is so as not to give anything
away, but it does follow along with my common theme of social justice.
LBL: You've certainly piqued my interest! I'll just have to read the book once
it is released. (You did that on purpose, didn't you?) Do you have a
particular go-to Bible verse you’d like to share with us? Why is it special to
you?
Paula: I love verse Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God.” I’m not
much of a worrier anyway, but this verse always calms me when I’m fearful.
It’s such a simple statement but testifies to the power of God. He is God. He
is in control. What more could we want or need?
LBL: So, so true. And because it's short, it's easy to remember. How can we
pray for you?
Paula: Two things: One, pray for my next book, Pursued. It has some
troublesome topics, and I want to be sure I treat them with respect and honor.
I’m doing the research for it now, and I’m shaking my head, wondering how I’m
going to include some pretty harsh things without making the story too heavy.
But those harsh things are true and factual, and I don’t want to whitewash
history, either. And two, pray for my 91-year-old mother-in-law, Billie. She
suffers from Alzheimer’s, and it’s a horrible thing to watch. It’s also
difficult for my husband and I as we adjust our lives to accommodate her
ever-growing need for care.
You are all definitely in my prayers. I've watched loved ones go through
Alzheimer's and dementia, and it's heart-rending. And I will keep
Pursued on my list of prayer requests, too. Thank you so much for your
time. It has been nice getting to know a little more about you.
Check out Paula's website for more information about her or her books.
Unapaulagetically Texan.
(Don't you just love that website title?)
Accepted, book three in Paula's San Antonio series, is
expected to release this summer. So stay tuned!
Besides her website, Paula can be found all over the web. Here are her links.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PaulaPeckhamAuthor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PaulaPeckham
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/paulajopeckham/
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-peckham-927478234/
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@paulapeckham
Amazon author page:
https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09FP2JPR6
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21803544.Paula_Peckham
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/ppeckham/books/
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/paula-peckham
